Twice in an Eternity
by rebmetpes-86
Summary: Mr. Smith is a bit wary when Judge Othniel appoints a newly deceased teenager to become his apprentice, especially when his apprentice and his client have a vast dislike for one another. Just what does Judge Othniel have in mind?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
  
Mr. Smith partially hid his face behind the locker door and pretended to be gathering up his textbooks. He smiled to himself, knowing that nobody would notice that he was too old to be in high school. He had made sure of that. Glancing down the hall, he could see the next client he would soon represent. Alicia Chang. Even though she wore no makeup and looked a bit like a tomboy, Smith thought that Alicia looked a little cute with her sleek black hair in a ponytail and glasses that gave her a scholar's look.  
"Look who needs a new hairstyle." Smith frowned as he watched another girl gang up on Alicia. She looked like the beautiful, snobby and shallow type. "Typical." He mumbled to himself.  
Alicia smirked and pretended to laugh alongside the girl. "Look who needs to get a brain." She shot back.  
Smith felt himself slip back into his invisible form. It was time. Everything slowed down as screams slowly echoed through the hall. Smith saw everything in slow motion. He saw a handful of people running away to reveal a scrawny looking boy waving a handgun, tears streaming down his face. Screaming something incomprehensible in slow motion, two shots were fired. More people screamed. Another young boy slowly crumpled to the floor, holding a gunshot wound to his leg. Alicia reeled over backwards and landed like a lead heap onto the floor. That was the incentive for the bully girl to take off running. A cry of pain escaped the scrawny boy as he raised his gun once again. Two more shots escaped, but this time they were more carefully aimed. One bullet whizzed through Smith's chest and shattered the glass casting to the fire extinguisher behind him. The second bullet found its target, hitting the bully girl square in the back, making her fall flat on her face. A brave male teacher tackled the boy from behind and knocked the gun out of his hand.  
Smith took a few deep breaths as time sped up once again. Somehow he found his way through a growing crowd. Tears came to his eyes as he knelt down beside Alicia. She had died instantly from a gunshot wound to the forehead. Mr. Smith turned and looked towards the sky, tears streaming down his face. "Why did you do this? Why her?" 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
Smith forced himself to stop crying as he watched the soul of Alicia slowly rise from her body. She was confused and disorientated, just like all the others.  
"Alicia!" Mr. Smith called.  
The confused teenager stared at Mr. Smith for a moment. "Who are you?" she asked, before taking a step and walking through the jelly wall. "Where am I?"  
"My name is Mr. Smith." Smith hoped that he would not start crying again, though he could feel his voice start to croak. "And you, Alicia Chang, I am afraid you're dead."  
Alicia followed Mr. Smith's gaze towards her own body. "I remember the screaming...I remember the boy, the gunshot, and then I don't remember anything else."  
"This one does not seem to be in denial of her own death, Mr. Smith." Judge Othniel commented as he appeared from the stairwell.  
"Who are you?"  
"This is the honourable Judge Othniel," Mr. Smith explained. "He's going to be the man to decide your fate. Don't worry nothing bad will happen to you."  
"You seem confident, Mr. Smith." Judge Othniel calmly opened up his bag and took out a bunch of papers and carefully examined them.  
"I am sure that Ms. Chang has all the evidence she needs." Mr. Smith began. "Her father tragically died of cancer when she was only seven, and Alicia took care of the whole household until her mother and brother were able to get past her grief and move on. Alicia has also been a First Class Honour Roll student all of her life and participated in numerous clubs, all the while ignoring taunts and ridicule from her fellow classmates. She has even put in extensive hours volunteering at the local hospital with hopes of becoming a doctor. She deserves a second chance."  
"A second chance? A second chance at what, Mr. Smith?"  
"At her life of course." Mr. Smith was growing more confused with each passing moment. "To change the biggest regret of her life."  
Judge Othniel smiled warmly at Alicia. "And do you feel as if you had any regrets in your 17 years of living, Ms. Chang?"  
"It...is funny actually, because these past couple of years I've started to wonder why I was here." Alicia finally stammered. "I know, Mr. Smith mentioned that I had hopes for becoming a doctor, and I did, but that was only because my dad died of cancer. When my mom and brother stopped grieving and I didn't have to take care of them, I felt that, that had been the great purpose of my life. That now I had done everything that I was supposed to have done."  
Judge Othniel nodded understandingly. "A noble purpose, not many would think that." He examined the papers once more. "Yes Ms. Chang, the evidence is all here. You have clearly led the life of an angel, or at least as close to one on Earth."  
"So she'll be sent for a life sentence in heaven?" Mr. Smith asked hopefully.  
"No Mr. Smith. I believe there is a better alternate solution."  
Alicia looked as confused as Mr. Smith felt. "But if Alicia is not going to heaven, nor is getting a second chance, then what other solution would there be?"  
"Doing what you do, Mr. Smith." Judge Othniel said. "It has been decided, that you, Alicia Chang, will learn all the knowledge from Mr. Smith in order to help guide souls towards their fate, whether or be a passage to heaven or a second chance at life. You will have all the powers that are needed, yet you must be the one responsible for learning and maintaining all those skills. You have the blessing of God Almighty, and his court." 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"That's a good look for you." Smith couldn't help but comment.

Alicia smiled as she looked at her new "invisible" outfit: a pair of baggy brown capris, a black tank top, the long hair no longer in a ponytail, and her scholar glasses were gone. "It was my favourite outfit." She cocked her head to one side. "Is it just me, or is somebody about to die?"

"Come on." Smith said, grabbing Alicia's hand. "We want to be ready, and also to blend in."

By the time the pair arrived at the hospital, they had already chosen their visible costumes. Smith was a male nurse looking at his clipboard while keeping an eye on the target room. He nearly did a double take when he saw that Alica had chosen to be a skater chic, looking extremely bored. "You sure that is a subtle look?" Smith whispered as the two of them entered the elevator.

Alicia shrugged. "This was all I could think of...and besides, haven't you heard that appearances can be deceiving?"

"Fair enough." Smith tried to hide a smile. He checked his watch. "We're a little later than I had planned, but don't worry, we'll still reach our destination in time."

The elevator doors slid open and the pair walked out. "These hospital maps are always so confusing."

A scream echoed down the hall. "That would be a good start." Smith muttered to himself. A split second later he changed back into his invisible form, running down the hallway with Alicia following close behind.

Unseen to everybody else but themselves, Smith and Alicia entered the hospital room. There was a heart monitor in one corner, but it now had a high and continuous beep. A young girl lay pale and motionless on the bed as the mother sobbed by the bedside. The father paced around the room, tears streaming down his cheeks. "My little girl." He whispered repeatedly. "My little girl."

Smith looked to see Alicia slowly backing out of the room. "Her? We have to defend her?!"

Smith smiled. "Well, actually, I have to defend her, and you have to watch and learn." He took another look at the dead girl and recognized her as being the bully girl that had taunted Alicia only hours before.

"But Sarah, why did it have to be Sarah?" Alicia ran her hands through her hair and stamped her feet out of pure frustration.

Within moments, Sarah's spirit lifted from her body. "Mom? Dad? It's okay, I'm here." She slowly slid off the hospital bed and walked right through the jelly-like wall.

"Sarah Campbell?"

Sarah turned towards his voice. "Who are you?" She caught the sight of Alicia standing sulkily behind him. "Oh it's you. And I suppose you brought your 40 year old boyfriend to laugh at me? I always knew you were a whore."

"I am NOT forty years old!" Smith protested.

Alicia crossed her arms. "I just knew it. Do you not have any memory of the shoot-out that occurred at school? Just as ignorant in life as in death."

Sarah's confident smile instantly vanished. "Dead? Did you say I was dead?"

"Shot in the back, died of complications." Smith motioned to the hospital bed.

Sarah's gaze eventually returned to the pair standing before her. "I'm dead? But, why, is, Alicia standing here?"

"I never said I wasn't dead." Alicia replied bitterly. "Be VERY glad that I won't be representing you in front of Judge Othniel."

"Judge who?"

"Ah Ms. Campbell," Judge Othniel came into the room, dressed as a doctor and carrying his black bag. "Let's get a good checkup for you to determine where you shall go."

Sarah shot a confused look at Mr. Smith and Alicia. "Go?"

"He's here to decide your eternal fate." Smith interpreted.

"Is there even anything to decide?"

"As a matter of fact Ms. Campbell, yes there is a decision to make. Do you remember what happened in the fall of 1999?" Judge Othniel took off his glasses and stared straight into her eyes.

"Well, that was my first year of high school, does that count?"

"Yes Ms. Campbell, that does count. More than you ever really knew." Judge Othniel put on his glasses again.

A scene from the past began to play.

A thirteen year old Sarah Campbell with glasses clutched her binder and textbook as she nervously wandered down the hall. Suddenly a young boy crashed into Sarah, knocking all of the books out of her hand.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry." The boy said, bending down and helping Sarah pick up her books. "My name's Billy Thompson, I'm a freshman. You new here too? I saw you in Band class."

"Uh yeah, I'm a freshman too." Sarah smiled and shook Billy's hand. "Listen, uh, since we don't really know anybody else, want to grab some lunch together?"

The scene cut to Sarah standing behind Billy in the lunch line. Looking around the cafeteria, she saw a bunch of kids waving and motioning for her to come and sit at their table—popular looking kids. With only a backward glance, Sarah abandoned Billy in the lunch line and went to sit with the popular kids.

"Abandoning Billy Thompson could have been overlooked as a mild offence Ms. Campbell, until you decided to not just ignore his existence, but to make it completely miserable." Judge Othniel shook his head as another scene from the past began to play. A fourteen year old Sarah stood in the hall in contacts and the latest fashions, surrounded by all of her popular friends, all giggling and gossiping. An insecure looking Billy walked down the hallway with a pile of books in his arms. Walking past the group of girls, his eyes rested on Sarah and he smiled for a couple of seconds before quickly adverting his gaze.

"Oh my god, did you SEE how he looked at you Sarah?!" A brunette giggled. "That was SO lame."

"Disgusting is more like it." A blonde replied "Who is he?"

"Like I would know, or even care." Sarah sighed and tossed her own perfect blonde tresses.

"Your honour." Mr. Smith spoke up as the scene faded. "During that time Sarah was, like any normal teenager, caught up in a world of insecurity. She found that security in her friends that she made, and was thus scared that she would lose them. So she did everything in her power to fit in and keep those friends, as the saying goes."

"At the expense of others, Mr. Smith?" A third scene began to play.

"I hate you!" Billy screamed, waving around his shotgun. "I hate all of you!" Two shots were fired, and Alicia reeled over and landed onto the floor, a blank look on her face.

"If we continue on into the future, we will find that young Mr. Thompson was tried and convicted of two accounts of murder: yours and Ms. Chang's. Sentenced to time in prison...but was found dead from committing suicide, before he even stepped foot into the jail. Not to mention all the grief and pain that all three of your families faced."

"I had no idea I was like that." Sarah said slowly, seemingly as if she was snapping out of a daze. "They tell us and show us all the time how destructive bullying can be, but I never realized that I myself was doing it."

"Ignorance." Alicia muttered under her breath.

Smith leaned closer and whispered in Sarah's ear. "What if you could go back and correct your biggest mistake?"

"I could do that?"

"Only if you can prove that you're sincere about knowing your mistake to Judge Othniel."

"Judge Othniel, I can only hope that I can go back and prevent myself from making the lives of so many people around me miserable." There was a genuine honesty in the girl's voice. "I promise that I'll stop myself from making the same mistake."

There was a little smile on Judge Othniel's face. "Then you must go back and try to right the wrongs that you have committed. You will have three days, and three days only. Nobody will recognize you, you are a free agent in the universe, with the blessing of God Almighty and his court."

BOOM.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A blinding flash, and Alicia blinked. When she blinked again, she found that Mr. Smith and herself were both transformed into different costumes.

"He always does this." Smith explained. "And just like the client, you never really know who you're going to turn into...although we do get the luxury of turning back into our invisible forms, though at a later time."

"Thanks for that." Alicia mumbled to herself. "Do you always defend and ask for a second chance?"

"Only those that deserve it." Smith replied, checking his outfit and trying to discover his new identity. "And most people deserve a second chance."

"I can't see how Sarah could ever change."

"Well, she may surprise us yet." Smith found a piece of paper in his briefcase and pulled it out. "Great, I'm a substitute teacher for Math all day. This should be interesting."

"And I'm supposed to be finding my way around class as well." Alicia glanced at the binder that she was holding. "That makes two of us."

"First thing that you have to remember," Smith said. "Is to always help push start our client towards their second chance." He motioned to where Sarah was standing, dazed and confused in front of her open locker. One look into her mirror and the girl screamed. Several students glanced at Sarah curiously before moving on.

"Whoa Tess, are you okay?" A boy with messy brown hair and a pleather jacket laid a friendly hand on her shoulder.

"Huh? What?" Sarah brushed the boy's hand from her shoulder and stared into his eyes. "Billy?"

"Uh no, Bobby." The boy pretended to look horrified and offended, but there was a twinkle in his eye. "Do I seriously look _that_ much like my brother?"

"Family look." Sarah managed to stammer.

"Are you all right?" Bobby wrinkled his brow. "You're not going to miss out on today's rehearsal are you?"

"Rehearsal?"

"Are you forgetting everything today?" Bobby laughed and threw up his hands in frustration. "We've only been together on the Drama Club since Grade 8. So it's been 5 years. Don't drop out on me now." Bobby looked at his watch. "I gotta go. See you afterschool!"

"Alright, now for damage control." Smith whispered in Alicia's ear.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Check up on her, make sure she knows her identity for one. And get her not to attract any more attention for herself." Smith handed Alicia an agenda. "You'll be needing this. And make sure she gets to the rehearsal!"

"Why can't you talk to her?"

"Because I'm a substitute teacher. I'm not supposed to know her." Smith rolled his eyes and gave Alicia a little nudge. "Consider this hands-on experience."

"There you are!" Sarah whispered frantically to Alicia as she approached. "What on earth happened to my hair?! What did you do!?"

"Actually we didn't get to choose. The guy upstairs chose this look for you, and all of us."

"But, my hair." Sarah cried, looking in her locker mirror in horror. "It's brown, and so curly and UGLY."

"Considering how your eternal fate is hanging on the line, I'd say that should be the last thing on your mind." Alicia couldn't help but be annoyed. "Think about the tools you were given. Go to the rehearsal. And here." Alicia handed Sarah the agenda.

"Theresa Sampson..." Sarah read out loud as she flipped through the book. "Wait...that guy called me Tess...is that short for Theresa?"

"That's a good possibility." Alicia pointed out. "Just promise you'll go to the rehearsal okay?"

"Why? It's about saving my life isn't it?" Sarah flipped through the agenda once again. "And judging by the calendar, I'm already in Grade 9. I've already started my teasing towards other people. Especially Billy." Sarah closed the locker door and leaned against it, a dark cloud washing over her face.

"Look, Mr. Smith told me to tell you that." Alicia said. "And you have three days. Don't forget, you're now wandering around as Theresa Sampson and not Sarah Campbell, so I think you should do what Theresa Sampson normally does. He put you here for a reason. There's a reason for everything."

The bell rang and Alicia started to walk away. Sarah grabbed her arm. "Where are you going?"

"Class." Alicia rolled her eyes. "And it would be a good idea for you as well." Alicia walked away to leave Sarah to find her next class.

Author's Note: Sorry if I've been inaccurate for all those die-hard Twice in a Lifetime fans. If you have time, please review. I would like to know if you liked the story or not...hopefully you do!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Smith found Alicia on her way from the washroom. Making sure he was visible only to her, he called out her name and waved her over.

"Hey Mr. Smith, aren't you supposed to be teaching class or something?" Alicia pointed out.

"I'm not much of a teacher." Mr. Smith replied. "And you probably know that I'm only visible to you, so try not to look like you're talking to someone. Or it'd probably be a better idea if you became invisible too. Just think you are, and you'll get there."

Alicia looked carefully around the empty hallway to make sure nobody would notice her disappearance. "Well, that's as much as I know how to do."

The pair found a spot on top of the counter lockers. "I'm afraid it was true what I said about me being a horrible teacher. So maybe it's better if you asked questions and I try to answer them."

"So, I understand that the person in question has to go through the journey on their own. But how much can we help them?" Alicia swung her legs, being careful not to kick the lockers. "I could just tell that Sarah was ready to shake every answer out of me in terms of what was going on and what she had to do. That wouldn't have helped—I didn't know any answers."

"Nobody ever does know." Smith sighed.

Alicia raised one eyebrow. "Even you?"

"I don't know any more than you do in terms of how things are going to work out." Smith said again. "But perhaps we see a bigger picture, and also a stronger gut feeling."

"So do you think that she will succeed?"

"Everybody has potential of succeeding." Smith pointed out. "Realizing one's own mistakes is the first step to succeeding."

"So how many people do you get to train?"

"You're my first apprentice." Smith took notice of the surprised look on Alicia's face. "I have really no clue why Judge Othniel would suddenly do something like that."

"So I'm guessing Judge Othniel does a lot of things that you don't question huh?"

Smith laughed to himself. "Yes, Judge Othniel definetly has the ability to see much bigger pictures. There were many people that Judge Othniel gave a second chance to that I had no idea why on earth he did that."

"Just like this case." Alicia bit her lip.

Smith put a comforting arm around her shoulder. "She was that bad to you, huh?"

Alicia looked at the ground. "It seemed like she often went out of her way to tease and make fun of us just because we were not as popular as her. Not like she was all that popular at one point either. I, I knew Billy Thompson since elementary school. And in high school, with all the teasing that he endured from Sarah as well as others, I was literally watching him die, and I couldn't do a darn thing about it."

"Then maybe Sarah will succeed and save two lives this time." Smith looked at his watch. "My how time flies. Class is almost over. Let's hope that Sarah will show up to rehearsal today."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Sarah warily entered the theatre and looked around the slightly unfamiliar atmosphere. A small group of students were talking and laughing amongst themselves on the stage. But what caught her attention was a young boy setting up a ladder beside a couple of stage lights. Before she knew what she was doing, Sarah had climbed up the stairs to where the young boy was. "Oh my gosh, Billy?"

"Oh hey Tess." The boy finished setting up the ladder before he laid eyes on Sarah. He looked exactly like the fourteen year old she remembered, but yet somehow he was different.

"Billy, what are you doing here?" Sarah couldn't help but ask.

The boy clipped a wrench to his belt. "You've only seen me for the past year." Billy half laughed. "I've spent half a year training to be on the technical crew."

"The what crew?"

"The tech crew. You know, lights, sound. Though I prefer working with the lights."

Sarah wrinkled her brow in confusion. "I thought you were afraid of heights."

"Perhaps." Billy admitted, looking up the ladder. "But now I consider it just as another adrenaline rush."

Smith and Alicia appeared. "This could be the fun part." Smith whispered to Alicia.

"What if Sarah gets scared and accidentally makes Billy fall of the ladder?"

But Sarah had already noticed the couple. "What the hell is Billy doing in the Drama Club?!?"

"He joined it last year, he told you himself." Smith pointed out.

"Are you talking to yourself again?" Billy called down from the top of the ladder. "Going over your lines?"

"I'm talking to these people right here." Sarah pointed to where Smith and Alicia were standing.

Billy looked down and shot Sarah a weird look. "There's nobody there Tess."

"Uh, in these outfits, only you can see or hear me and Alicia." Smith explained. "So you might want to not acknowledge our existence or people will start to think you are a little crazy."

"And yes, Billy was always part of the Drama Club." Alicia added with a hint of bitterness in her voice. "Though he's always been backstage and you've never taken the effort to find out."

Sarah didn't even notice that Billy had scaled down the ladder. "Hey, are you alright? You look like you've got something on your mind."

"Well," Sarah looked again, but Smith and Alicia had already disappeared. "I've just seen you here all along, and I never see you hanging out with the popular kids."

Billy laughed. "Popular kids? I'm not one of them."

"But you could be." Sarah persisted. "Join a few sports clubs, talk to some of the guys and then you're one of them."

Billy sat down on the stairs and started adjusting one of the lights. "You sound as if it is my life goal to become part of the in crowd."

"Isn't everybody's?"

"Minus me then."

"Why?' Sarah sat down beside him.

Billy stopped fiddling and thought for a few moments. "It seems so tough for popular people. I mean, once you get up on top, it takes a lot of work to stay on top you know? All that work to keep that image, to keep that act up, put other people down. I can't live my life pretending to be someone that I don't feel like I truly am. I'm pretty content with my life right now. I have a group of good friends. I mean, it could always be better, but it could be worse. A lot worse."

"Hey Tess! Come on! Stop hitting on my brother!" Bobby laughed as he waved Sarah over. "It's time to start rehearsals!"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"I don't even remember Billy being this strong, or this cool." Sarah said to an invisible Smith and Alicia. "And I never thought about popular people in that way before."

"The whole world can look different in someone else's shoes." Smith commented as the trio made their way to the high school.

"So what am I supposed to do now?" Sarah cried out in frustration. "How am I supposed to get me to change?"

"TESS!"

Sarah turned to find Bobby pull up beside her in a stunning red classic corvette. Billy waved from the passenger seat. "Need a ride to school?"

Sarah looked around, but Smith and Alicia were gone once again. "Uh sure, that'd be nice."

The door to the sports car propped open. "Hop on in." Bobby was grinning from ear to ear.

Sarah slid in and looked around the car in amazement as Bobby pulled away from the curb. "Quite a classic isn't it? My parents are out of town for the week, so that's why I get to drive my dad's car."

"I never knew you had a license." Sarah said in amazement.

Bobby laughed. "I'm not like those popular kids who get a car as a present when they get their license. And I'm not the type to brag about getting my license. Although my dad did say that I can drive it whenever I want after grad. At least until Billy graduates."

"If he doesn't crash it by then." Billy joked.

Bobby stuck out his tongue at his younger brother.

If I don't get this right, Billy may never get to graduate. Sarah thought to herself as they pulled up to the school. She forced herself to put on the act of joking and laughing with the two brothers.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Sarah's heart nearly stopped as she watched the younger version of herself approach. "Are you Tess?"

"That's me." Sarah fought hard to stay calm, but she could feel her heartbeat race. "What can I do for you?"

"You talked to Billy Thompson today, I saw you." The fourteen year old looked nervous and afraid.

"You sound like it's a huge deal."

"Well it is." The younger Sarah nervously twirled a lock of hair around her fingers. "He can't even talk to the popular group in his own grade, yet he seems to be more comfortable talking to seniors. That's off limits even to us. Why do you talk to him?"

"Billy is a very cool person, if you got to know him." Sarah was finally able to see how annoying her younger self was. "You would know too, if you got to know him. And despite what you might think, seniors are not off limits in terms of younger grades approaching and talking to them."

"Well, I tried, but he's being stubborn and won't talk."

"Well, if you didn't spend your spare time teasing and making his life miserable, maybe he would talk to you." Sarah replied.

"Who died and made you an analyzer into my life?"

"You know I'm right." Sarah shot back. "I was once in your shoes. I wanted to be one of the popular people so bad, and I didn't care what it took to get more there. Well, I did achieve my goal, but at the expense of others."

The young Sarah glared at her older self. "I'm nothing like you." She said before stalking off.

"You're more like me than you could ever know." Sarah said only to herself. She almost collapsed as a new realization began to sink in.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"I love him." A stunned Sarah said to Alicia and Mr. Smith. "Well, I don't know about love, but I had a crush on him."

Smith did a double take. "You had a crush on him? Since when?"

"Since she first saw him." Alicia leaned causally against a locker.

Both Smith and Sarah turned their heads towards Alicia. "How do you know?"

"Just because I don't mention that I notice things, doesn't mean I don't." Alicia explained. "It was obvious, at least to me, that Sarah had an eye out for Billy."

"Yeah," Sarah leaned against a locker and slowly slid down to the ground. "I've learned my mistakes, only a lifetime too late. My teasing was the only attention that I could give him. When he started to pull away, I couldn't understand why, and I kept chasing and teasing him even more in desperation. I'm such an idiot." Sarah covered her face with her hands.

Alicia's harsh look seemed to soften. "You know what they say." She said quietly. "Love is blind."

Even Smith started to feel his eyes glisten. "Realization is the first step."

"Great, how do I stop myself from making the same mistake?"

"Use the tools and knowledge that you have." Smith said comfortingly. "You still have a little under two days left. Use that time wisely."

"How?"

"That's for you to decide."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"You sure that watching rehearsals is okay?" The younger Sarah said nervously as they made their way to the theatre.

"You want to see how cool Billy is right?" Sarah pointed out as she opened the door. "Besides, since when have you been so afraid?"

"Since I began walking into unfamiliar territory." Was the nervous reply.

Walking into the theatre, nobody really paid attention to the two girls. Spotting Billy at the topmost row fiddling with more stage lights, Sarah led her younger self to the top of the stair case. "Hey Billy."

At first Billy smiled as he heard the friendly voice. But when he looked up and saw who was accompanying Sarah, his face quickly clouded over. "Oh it's you." He said dryly. "Just say what jokes you have and get out of here."

"Jokes? Is that all you think I am? A big joke to you?" the young girl's lip began to quiver.

Billy went back to adjusting the lights, and avoided her gaze. "No, but I know that I am one to you."

"To me? You don't even know what goes on inside of my head!"

"Neither do you!" Billy threw down his wrench and stood up, glaring at the younger Sarah. "Do you think I'm ignorant to all the teasing I've put up with from you and your so-called friends? If I didn't bother you, you wouldn't bother me, or at least that's how I thought things would work out. But I guess not, because you just obviously trampled in here, into a world that you consider leagues below your own. Well guess what, this is MY world. The place where I'm the happiest, where I had friends, where I smiled and laughed, and where I thought I was safe from you. At least that was the case up until this moment you decided to try and take it all away."

"Billy, I'm sorry!" The older Sara yelled desperately as he brushed past them.

Billy looked back for a split second. "So am I Tess. But only to you." He jumped on the banister and slid the rest of the way down before bolting out of the theatre.

_What have I done?_ Sarah thought as she held her sobbing younger self in her arms.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Rough night?" Smith asked Sarah.

"Wow, I'm glad somebody noticed the circles under my eyes." Sarah yawned and slammed her locker door closed.

"Last day." Alicia said quietly.

"Is it even worth trying anymore?" Sarah asked. "I know I acted way too rashly yesterday, and I saw all of Billy's hate and anger revealed. I know how our lives will end, and it isn't pretty."

"Every minute is worth it." Smith said. "You've still got a few hours left. That could be a world of difference. Everybody has setbacks."

"And how do you know for sure?"

A twinkle appeared in Smith's eye.

"Hey Tess!" Bobby called to Sarah in the hallway after school. "Have you seen Billy?"

"No I haven't." Sarah replied. "Why?"

"Well, he left early this morning but I haven't seen him in any of his classes. I looked for him all during lunch and I couldn't find him anywhere either."

"Did you check the theatre?"

"First place I checked. I called home too—nobody was there."

"Alright, it can't be that bad." Sarah tried to stay calm. "Split up, and I'm sure we'll find him faster."

Sarah was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief as she opened the door to the theatre and saw Billy in a corner strumming on a guitar.

"Billy." Sarah ran up to him and gave him a big hug. "I'm so glad you're alright. You know how much worrying you caused for me and Bobby?"

Billy looked up and there was a hint of tears in his eyes. "Sorry, I just really needed some time alone to think, so I went and sat in the park for the whole day, but the theatre just kept calling me back."

Sarah slowly sat down beside the boy. "What stuff did you think about?"

Billy played a few chords on his guitar before stopping again. A half-hearted laugh echoed through the theatre.

"It's so darn funny when I think about it." Billy finally said. "Do you believe in love at first sight? I didn't until I met Sarah. I was so mad myself for accidentally crashing into her in the hallway a year ago, but perhaps that happened for a reason. I thought she liked me too, at least as a friend, but I guess that wasn't the case when she started treating me like crap. Funny how love works doesn't it? I keep telling myself that it's the best to let her go, to forget about her. But no matter how hard I try, I can't."

Sarah could hardly believe her ears. "What did you say? You have a crush on me—I mean—Sarah?"

"Yeah I do." Billy finally said. "I don't know why I continue to like her. There's no way she could feel the same way about me. No way."

"Maybe today is the day for miracles."

Sarah and Billy looked up surprise to find the younger Sarah standing in front of them. Neither one of them had heard her enter. Her eyes were red and puffy from hours of crying. A single tear escaped and slid down her face.

Billy quickly put down his guitar and stood up. He fished into his pockets, pulled out a Kleenex and gave it to Sarah.

"Thanks." Sarah sniffled and wiped her eyes.

"I'm so sorry about yelling at you yesterday." Billy said.

"You had all the right in the world to do that." Sarah sighed. "I was so horrible to you, and talking to Tess here made me realize all the shame that I should have felt a long time ago. And I want you to know that I'll never do that again, to you or to anyone else."

"I'm glad to hear it." Billy said honestly.

"I just wanted to ask you one last thing."

"Anything."

"Well," Sarah shifted her weight uncomfortably between her feet. "I couldn't help but overhear what you were telling Tess, about having a crush on me. I have to confess, I had one on you too, and that's why I teased you for so long. That's some weird and twisted logic I have right?"

There were several moments of awkward silence.

"Yeah well, I'd better get going." Sarah finally said, slowly turning around.

"Wait."

Sarah stopped.

"Uh...would you like to come up to the tech booth and watch me put on a light show?" Billy offered quietly.

A smile slowly spread across the young girl's face. "I'd like that." She said.

Sarah could feel her heart almost burst with happiness as she watched the two trample up the stairs and into the tech booth.

Unseen, Smith and Alicia had watched all the drama unfold. "So, it did work out." Alicia said quietly.

Smith looked at his watch. "It's been three days exactly. Time for Sarah to go back to her new life." He snapped his fingers and the theatre was filled with a blinding white flash.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Sarah blinked as her eyes recovered from the sudden flash. Where was she? Did she succeed?

"You really blinded us with that crazy camera flash Janice!" An unfamiliar girl let go of Sarah's arm. "I bet you both of us are going to have major bug eyes."

Sarah could only stare in confusion as she watched the girl goof off and twirl around in a sparkling green dress, her perfect brown curls bobbing up and down. It was only then that she started to notice that all the guys were in suits or tuxedos and all the girls in stunning ball gowns. Grad? Slowly, Sarah started to recognize the girl that had been in the picture with her. "Susan?" Sarah asked in bewilderment.

The girl stopped twirling around and stared at Sarah. "Of course it's me. We've only been best friends for the past three years. Janice's camera flash really stunned you eh?"

"That must be it." Sarah admitted sheepishly, though still dazed and confused.

"Hey, how are all of my fine ladies?" A male voice asked playfully.

"Very funny Billy, we know you only have eyes for Sarah." Susan sighed and rolled her own eyes.

Sarah's heart skipped a beat. Billy? She turned her head to look at the face of the boy that put his arm around her shoulders. A kiss was planted on her forehead.

Sarah nearly gasped. "Billy?" she couldn't believe it.

The boy gave Sarah a playful wink. "Your one and only, I sure hope."

It was Billy Thompson, but he was not the scrawny little boy that Sarah had remembered holding the gun. He was at least a few good inches taller and seemed more confident. There was even a hint of a slightly muscular body under the stunning black tuxedo and crystal white boutonniere. Sarah locked eyes with Billy and felt her heart go wild. "Um, I think I have to go to the washroom." She stammered.

"Alright, but come back soon, the dance is about to start."

Somehow Sarah found her way to the empty ladies' washroom. She took one look in the mirror and saw Mr. Smith and Alicia appear behind her out of thin air.

"Mr. Smith, Alicia!" Sarah laughed and gave each of them a hug. "I'm alive, and I'm here…did I make it?"

Mr. Smith couldn't help but smile. "You helped your younger self see the error of your ways. You stopped tormenting what you formerly called the 'little people.'"

"Billy got the courage to ask you out soon after you two admitted having crushes on each other, and you said yes." Alicia had a genuine smile on her face. "You two are now one of the IT couples in the school."

"The 'it' couple? You mean…did I end up keeping my popularity?"

"Well, you're not as popular as you were in your previous life, but you and Billy are definitely part of the 'in' crowd." Smith said. "But that doesn't mean you've let it all go to your heads. You have friends from all walks of life, as the saying goes. Billy convinced you to join the Drama Club, and you've been there ever since. You even convinced him to have an acting debut—you wouldn't be Juliet without him being your Romeo."

"Of course, after that he still preferred to be backstage." Alicia hid a small laugh.

Billy suddenly came back into Sarah's mind. "What happened to Billy?" she asked. "He looks so different, so much…cuter. Not the boy that I remembered so long ago."

"That was your doing." Alicia chuckled. "Billy convinced you to join the Drama Club, so you convinced him to try out for a couple of sports teams. After much nagging, he discovered that he really liked volleyball and soccer, and the rest is history, as they say."

More and more burning questions began to surface in Sarah's mind. "Billy and I, was I smart enough to treat him right? Will I always be smart enough to do that?"

"That is up to you." Smith said honestly. "Who knows how the future will turn out? You were granted your second chance—don't blow it."

"Thank you so much you guys." Sarah could feel the tears coming to your eyes. "I'll never forget it."

Smith soon bore an uneasy expression on his face. "I'm afraid this part will be very unfair. I…I mean, me and Alicia will remember everything that happened these past three days, but I am afraid that you will have no memory at all. You will only remember your new life."

A tear managed to escape and travel down Sarah's cheek. "What, you mean, Alicia, she's not coming back? Doesn't she deserve a second chance?"

"I don't belong in your world anymore." Alicia said sadly.

"But, Billy didn't kill us anymore, so we're alive right?" Sarah pointed out. "This changes everything."  
"I'm sure somehow it will all get taken care of." Smith spoke up.

"So, I guess this will be it." Alicia said finally.

More tears fell from Sarah's eyes. "I'll never forget you guys."

"Yes you will." Smith replied. "The moment you walk out of that door, you will only remember your new life."

Sarah managed to smile through all of her tears. "I might not remember up here," she tapped her forehead. "But I will always remember here." She placed her hands over her heart.

Smith could start to feel his own eyes water. "No you won't." he whispered to himself as he watched Sarah walk out of that door.

Billy got up immediately as he saw Sarah emerge from the washroom. "There you are gorgeous. There is no way I could start the dance without you by my side…what's wrong?" Billy noticed Sarah's puffy red eyes.

"I just couldn't help but think of Alicia." Sarah confessed. "She should have been here with us today."

"Is that why you bolted into the washrooms?"

Alicia nodded.

"Come here." Billy enclosed Sarah in a warm hug. "I know how much you were friends with her, we all were. I wish she was still with us too. But somehow, I think she would want us to party on and be happy for her. So what do you say we go do that?"

Sarah smiled weakly. "I think I'd like that." Holding hands, the couple strolled back into the dance room, unable to see Smith and Alicia, who had been watching them closely the whole time.

"How is it that Sarah remembers me?" Alicia asked Smith.

"Like I said, it all managed to get taken care off." Smith led Alicia over to where a small plague hung on the wall, bearing a picture of a smiling Alicia. Underneath the picture, the words read: _This prom is dedicated to the loving memory of Alicia Chang, who was killed by a drunk driver on April 14, 2004._

"You were good friends with both Billy and Sarah throughout high school." Smith explained. "Driving home one night you were struck by a drunk driver running a red light. The driver walked away without a scratch, but he'll have to answer for that crime when the time comes."

"So this is the way it will be." Alicia ran her hands lightly over the engraved words.

"Better than the alternative." Smith pointed out. "If you have any regrets about not going back…I think now would be a good time to speak up about it."

Alicia shook her head and put on a brave smile. "Sarah changed her life, and in doing so, my life was changed for the better. That's all I wanted."

But Smith sensed that there was one more thing that the young girl wanted. Doing a bit of magic, his leather jacket and black pants transformed into a stunning black tuxedo. "It would be a shame to deprive you of probably the most important event of your high school life." Smith said almost playfully. He did a small bow and extended his hand towards Alicia. "I would be honoured if you would be willing to accompany me to the dance. What do you say?"

Alicia almost winked at Mr. Smith as she found herself transformed into a stunning light blue ball gown, her hair tumbling past her shoulders. The two slowly entered the ballroom, unseen by everyone else. Alicia could almost feel her heart burst with happiness as the two of them began to sway to the music. She could not have asked for more.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I apologize for all those people who were eagerly waiting for the next chapter of this story. Procrastination got the better of me, but thanks to Cassandra30 I got set back on track and added this chapter. Hope you like it (please review, if possible). One last chapter coming up soon, I hope!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Mr. Smith climbed a tree and sat its thick and secure lower branches. Children's laughter echoed from the nearby playground. He was slightly confused, since for the past few weeks he hadn't gotten any word of the next client he was going to represent. Perhaps Judge Othniel had thought he had earned a little vacation time, but after all of the non-stop second chances Smith was help making to come true, vacation time seemed out of the ordinary. It was one of the traits that confused Mr. Smith the most. Judge Othniel never exactly was predictable. As well, Mr. Smith had not heard from Alicia since the day of the prom. Mr. Smith could only hope that she was doing alright.

"Mr. Smith?"

Mr. Smith opened one eye and saw Alicia sitting a few feet away from him, balancing uneasily on the branches.

"Hey Alicia, I was just wondering where you've been." Mr. Smith said. "You holding up alright?"

"Yeah, yeah." Alicia said honestly. "Judge Othniel was just putting me through some test. Guiding some souls to a second chance, all by myself."

"How did that go?"

"It went well. Not that anybody remembers, but it went well."

Mr. Smith held back a chuckle, but he couldn't help smiling. "So, why are you here now?"

"I'm about to represent my next client."

"Really?" Mr. Smith couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. "So Othniel gives you the clients now, without telling me? I guess I'm not longer the senior executive of this department. Then again, it always has been somewhat of a one person job."

Alicia looked a little uneasy. Suddenly, her face lit up. "Judge Othniel!"

The pair jumped down from the tree. Smith hadn't even noticed the Judge approach. "What's the deal Judge Othniel?" Smith tried to say in a joking mood. "I train this girl to be a partner, and I'm getting replaced?"

Judge Othniel chuckled. "A partner? When did I ever say Alicia was going to be your partner?"

"What?" Confusion swam around in Mr. Smith's mind. He looked over to Alicia. "But I thought…"

"It's true." Alicia confessed. "Judge Othniel never said that you were training me to be a partner."

"Miss Cheung, what can you tell me about your latest client?"

"That there should be no hesitation needed in deciding my clients' fate." There was a little twinkle in the girl's eye. "Your honour, my client has spent countless millions of hours helping misguided souls in regaining second chances at life. His only reward for doing all of this work is the satisfaction and knowledge that he has encountered on the job. Perhaps one would argue that my client deserves a life sentence up in heaven, but I believe that he wishes to encounter a much humbler fate: to earn a second chance at life."

Only slowly was Mr. Smith starting to make sense of what was unfolding before him. Tears welled up in his eyes, and his heart almost burst with happiness. He could only stare at Alicia. "Is it….is this really happening?"

Alicia's own eyes began glistening. "You've earned your wings Mr. Smith. You can fly home."

Smith could barely believe it. After so long of helping others and hoping his own second chance, it had come. He had spent an eternity waiting for this moment. And now, when it had finally come, Mr. Smith found himself reluctant to leave.

All this time Judge Othniel had observed the reactions of Mr. Smith. Slowly, he took of his glasses. "Yes Miss Cheung, I believe you are right. In this case, there need be no hesitation in deciding. Mr. Smith shall have a second chance."

"Oh thank you your honour." Mr. Smith stepped over and gave a warm hug to a surprised Judge Othniel. A second later the floodgates opened. He released his grip and blindly found his way over to Alicia. "I've only known you for a couple of weeks, and already I feel like I'm going to miss you so much."

Alicia smiled and gave him a hug, tears streaming down her face. "You did teach me a lot, and don't worry, I'm sure I can always talk the legendary Mr. Jones if I need any extra help."

"And for the record, I'm hoping, or rather, I'm pretty sure that you will forget me in three days." Alicia added, releasing herself from the hug.

A wave of sadness washed over Mr. Smith. He didn't want to forget all the people that he had encountered along the way, and especially not Alicia or Judge Othniel. Yet, he knew it was part of the package of obtaining his second chance. And he still wanted that second chance more than anything else in the world.

"Mr. Smith and Miss Cheung, are we ready to proceed?"

The couple laughed and wiped away their tears. "I think so, Your Honour." Smith replied. He rested his eyes on the Judge. At that moment, the two men's met, and Mr. Smith found himself feeling closer to the Judge than ever before. The judge's own eyes started to glisten as he beamed at Mr. Smith, just like a father who couldn't be more proud of his son. A father who was unwilling, but knew it was necessary to let go.

"Mr. Smith," Judge Othniel finally began. "You will have three days, and three days only, to rediscover your past life and change your biggest regret, and in short have a second chance. No one will recognize you…"

Mr. Smith cast a sidelong glance at Alicia. She smiled at him and mouthed the words "I'll be there."

Mr. Smith took a deep breath. He was ready. He had died ready and waiting for this moment.

"…you are a free agent in the universe, with the blessing of God Almighty and His Court."

WHAM.

THE END

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, that's it! My first completed fanfic! A huge, huge thank you goes out to all the people that reviewed and also motivated me to finish this story. Hopefully my other fanfics to come will also be worthy for a read, but who knows? Just wanted to say thanks one more time to everyone who read this. Until next time!


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